Certain conventional refrigerator appliances include adjustable shelves that can be moved from one shelf mounting position to another within the refrigerator appliance. In some instances, adjustable shelves are mounted to powered tracks so that power can be provided to the shelves for shelf lighting, temperature control, and/or other desirable features. Powered tracks are generally configured to provide power to adjustable shelves no matter their mounting position within the refrigerator appliance. In this way, the configuration of shelves within the refrigerator can be arranged to suit the needs of a user without loss of powered functionality.
Despite the benefits of powered tracks, they generally require more time to assemble and include more parts than non-powered tracks. Conventional refrigerator appliances with powered tracks generally include two or more powered tracks. Thus, the production time and costs to build these types of refrigerator appliances is increased. Moreover, conventional powered tracks generally do not offer robust or reliable electrical connections with adjustable shelves mounted thereto. Accordingly, the power delivered to the shelves may be disrupted, causing inconvenience to the user.
In addition, load-carrying members of conventional powered tracks and/or adjustable shelves sometimes double as current-carrying electrical components. Where load-bearing members double as an electrical component, the selected material needs to be both structurally capable of supporting a given weight and generally needs corrosion protection for safety purposes and for maintaining conductive properties of the component. This effectively limits material selection for the shelf and/or powered track components, as corrosion resistant materials need be selected and/or protective coatings need be applied to protect the components.
Accordingly, improved refrigerator appliances that address one or more of the above challenges are desirable.